A reminder that the launch party for Big Spruce Brewing‘s beers in the HRM will be held Saturday at the Wooden Monkey, Dartmouth location. The event kicks off at 7pm, with samples of their Kitchen Party Pale Ale and Cereal Killer Oatmeal Stout. We hope to see you there! For more up-to-the-minute details on when the brewery is open for growler sales, Big Spruce is now on twitter.

Bridge Brewing has announced that their third beer, Strong Dark Belgian, will be available at the brewery starting today. With flavours of dark chocolate, and dark fruit, this 8% beer is a welcome addition to their line-up. Their current hours are Wed-Sat 12-7pm, though it’s best to check Twitter for any “Out of stock” notices.

Next Wednesday, April 24th, Picaroons will also be having a launch party for their highly successful Dooryard, an American Wheat Ale, one of their two summer seasonal beers. From 4-7 pm at the York St. Train Station in Fredericton, the party will feature live music, wood-fired pizza, and free Dooryard samples.

And a reminder that their Prohibition Repeal Party at Wilser’s Room is tonight. 12 taps of their beer, and there may even be some barrel-aged goodies as well! The event starts at 7pm, with Gypsophilia taking the stage at 9:30.

In Halifax, a reminder that the Rockbottom brewpub has a special beer every Saturday, tapped at 1pm. Served gravity-fed on the bar-top from a pin (20l), this week’s is the American Pale Ale with an extra blast of Cascade Hop Oil. Brewmaster Greg Nash loves to try a special twist on his regular lineup and seasonals, and it’s different every week.

Down at the Hart and Thistle, the Commissar Russian Imperial Stout is gone 🙁 but that means there is room for Nash’s latest creation, which is a dry-hopped IPA, launching in a few days :). Check their twitter for details on the exact release.

The Saint John Beer Festival, which was held last Saturday, appears to have been a great success. The event was sold out, and feedback was very positive, according to organizer Peter Stoddart (also of the Saint John Ale House). Almost $2000 was raised for Ducks Unlimited.
A popular vote was held to determine the best beers of the festival. With over 150 ballots cast, the results were as follows:
Gold – Picaroons Oak-aged Winter Warmer (in Glenora cask)
Silver – Big Tide Sandpiper Pilsner
Bronze – Shiretown Blonde du Quai
With a tentative date of April 5th being planned for next year’s event, Stoddart says that organizers “will be working diligently to up the bar once again”.

Speaking of Saint John, Big Tide Brewing‘s newest seasonal is still available, their Double IPA. This one is only available at the pub, so you have to be a local to get it.

That’s all the news for this week. If you have news of info you’d like published, write it in the comments, or hit us up via email or twitter. We’re looking to expand the ACBB Calendar, so if you know of any upcoming events, pass it along. Cheers!